SBIR/STTR Award attributes
Physical Sciences Inc. (PSI) proposes to develop a compact, low cost, passive optical beam director for a small Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS). This beam director will work cooperatively with a laser transmitter and spectral receiver co-mounted to a Nuclear Biological Chemical Reconnaissance Vehicle (NBCRV) to enable detection of persistent ground contaminants while on-the-move. The proposed architecture minimizes SWAP burden on the UAS, locates the system’s higher cost components off the UAS, reduces required power draw on the UAS batteries, and does not require data transmission from the UAS to the NBCRV. The optical design of the system eliminates the need for active focusing to compensate for uneven terrain. Performance projections indicate that the detection architecture is capable of achieving a 90% probability of detecting Chemical Warfare Agents dosed on a surface within 15 feet of the UAS entering a contaminated area. The Phase I effort will develop a breadboard system and conduct feasibility measurements against concrete, asphalt, grass, and sand surfaces dosed with 10 g/m2 of liquid simulant with a 500 µm median mass diameter distribution. Requirements and a conceptual design for a Phase II prototype will be generated.
